1 Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an in-vehicle power transmission device equipped with three or more power split rotors which work to split power or torque among an electric rotating machine (e.g., a dynamo-electric machine), a driven-wheel of a vehicle, and an accessory mounted in the vehicle and are designed to rotate in conjunction with each other, and a power control system for a vehicle equipped with such a power transmission device.
2 Background Art
In recent years, in terms of reducing the amount of energy consumed by automotive vehicles, so-called hybrid vehicles have been put into practical use which are equipped with a rotary electric drive machine working as an in-vehicle power source made up of an electric motor and a generator in addition to an internal combustion engine. The hybrid vehicles are typically controlled to stop the internal combustion engine in a low speed running range in view of the fact that the internal combustion engine is usually inefficient in energy use in the low speed running range. There have been put to practical use some of the hybrid vehicles which have a planetary gear drive equipped with a sun gear, a carrier, and a ring gear to which the generator, the internal combustion engine, and the electric motor are coupled, respectively. The driven wheels are connected mechanically to the electric motor.
Usually, when the hybrid vehicle is at a stop, the internal combustion engine, the electric motor, and the generator are all placed at rest. It is, thus, impossible to use the torque produced by the in-vehicle power source to operate a compressor of an air conditioner mounted in the vehicle when the vehicle is at a stop.
Accordingly, some of the hybrid vehicles are equipped with an additional electric motor for the compressor of the air conditioner.
The use of the above additional electric motor, however, results in an increase in total parts of the hybrid vehicle, which will lead to a decrease in cost effectiveness thereof.
Typical vehicles equipped not only with the compressor of the air conditioner, but also with the rotary electric drive machine to drive the vehicle usually face restrictions when the power is supplied from the rotary electric drive machine to an energy-consuming device (i.e., an accessory).
For example, typical hybrid vehicles are known in the following patent publications.    Japanese Patent Publication No. 3580257    Japanese Patent Publication No. 3626151    Japanese Patent Publication No. 3614409    Japanese Patent First Publication No. 9-46821